The present disclosure relates to a stop ring with a support eye lug used to support a stopping or lashing means and a threaded pin for fixing to an object to be lifted or fixed.
Stop rings are used for lifting or fixing objects such as machines or machine components. For this purpose, such a stop ring includes a threaded pin for fixing to an object to be lifted or fixed and a support eye lug for attaching stopping or lashing means.
Stop rings, which are also known as eyebolts or ringbolts, are standardized components (DIN 580) and are used in great quantities. The standardized ringbolts are produced as integrally formed rings with a threaded pin that is forged or cast onto the ring. The stopping or lashing means may potentially exert torque onto the threaded pin, depending on the direction of the applied force, which may lead to an overload or loosening of the threaded pin.
In addition to the integrally formed embodiments, ringbolts with rotatable threaded pins are also known. For example, such a ringbolt is described in DE 43 36 780 A1. It comprises a support eye lug with an insert opening at the base of the eye, in which the shaft of the threaded pin connected to the support eye lug is rotatably supported. The threaded pin is equipped with a head for transferring tensile forces between it and the support eye lug. An additional tool is required for mounting or removing the ringbolt, which must be stored separately after the mounting or removal process is completed, which presents the risk of losing this tool or not having it available in the location where it is needed.
Another ringbolt is known from EP 0 654 611 A1. It also requires a specific tool for mounting or removing the ringbolt. However, unlike in the case in which the tool is stored separately, this tool can be attached to the support eye lug of the ringbolt in such a manner that it can initiate a screwing motion in the threaded pin via the support eye lug. When the tool is not in use and not engaged in the threaded pin, it is suspended from the ringbolt in an undetachable manner Thus, the tool significantly extends beyond the outer edge of the support eye lug, creating the risk during application in a tight space that the outwardly extending tool catches on an object present in the tight space, causing the tool to tear off.
EP 2 646 698 B1 shows another embodiment of a ringbolt in which at least one locking element is attached to the support eye lug radially next to the pin head and is fixed in that location, wherein the locking element can be moved into an initial position in which it releases the pin head, and into a locking position in which it blocks the pin head in a rotational direction against the support eye lug. As the locking mechanism is open at the top there is a risk of contamination, impeding or preventing the actuation of the locking mechanism.
While the connection between the pin head and support eye lug is rotatable in all aforementioned embodiments, said connection is not designed as a roller bearing in these embodiments, which is disadvantageous, because the ringbolts then cannot be rotated under load, because of the risk that the ringbolts could unscrew themselves when rotating under load. A ringbolt is known from DE 20 2012 100 764 U1, which comprises a threaded pin and an eye lug, wherein the eye lug is connected to the outer component of a bearing, whereas the threaded lug includes a corresponding inner ring of a bearing. The outer component of the bearing is supported on the inner component of the bearing via inserted rollers. The rollers are arranged in a ring shape around the inner component of the bearing in at least two planes that are parallel to each other at a fixed distance. An additional tool is required for mounting or removing the threaded pin, which introduces the aforementioned disadvantages. Another disadvantage is that the base of the eye in the support eye lug is open to the top to facilitate access to the head of the threaded pin. This increases the risk of contamination entering the bearing.
Based on the embodiments discussed here, an aspect of the present disclosure is to further develop the stop ring mentioned above in such a manner that it can be rotated under load, is resistant to contamination, and can be mounted and removed without additional tools.